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Monday, October 31, 2011

Today's highlighted blog is Angie's 'Le monde de Sucrette - 100% handmade with love'. Angie's blog is such a delight to read - she's always so upbeat and happy. When I visit her blog, I am treated to an array of beautiful and colorful crochet. She's working on 3 different afghans right now, and each one is so pretty - Angie definately has a good eye for color. She also shares her patterns for all to enjoy. Stop by Angie's blog today for a visit - you'll be glad you did. :)

Finally able to finish this baby blankie last night. I crocheted it with Red Heart Soft - can't remember the color name of the blue, but it's prettier in person than in the picture - the brown is called 'toast'. The baby blankie measures 28 1/2".

(I would of liked to have taken the picture outside, but it's yucky out there.)

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Vince and I were out today and we decided to drop by the Dollar Tree (where everything is $1.00) for a few things. Look at what I found - Peaches & Creme cotton. There are 11 different colors - I only bought 1 of each. A few are for me and a few will be put away for my 500 follower giveaway (when I reach that number - only 21 more to go). :)

My daughter Erica asked me to crochet her a Washington Capitols scarf - just plain old red and blue. I wanted to add white fringe, but she didn't want that. The scarf is just double crochet - back and forth, back and forth, back and forth - kind of boring really. I thought I'd never get finished. Erica likes it and it looks like Missy likes it too. :)

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

***This is a guest post by Kathryn Vercillo, crochet writer, designer and artist. She blogs about all things crochet at Crochet Concupiscence and can be found on Twitter and Ravelry under the name CrochetBlogger.***

Crochet for Mental Health, Chronic Pain and More

Several years ago my life fell apart in a battle with depression. Crochet helped to pull me out of that mess and back into a rich and full way of living. I came to learn that numerous other people had also healed from depression through crochet. And I then discovered that crochet had helped people with many other mental and physical health problems ranging from anxiety to fibromyalgia. I was so inspired by the crochet health stories that people shared with me that I decided to write a book about the topic. I am continuing to do interviews for this book and plan to have it published in 2012.

Crochet for Mental Health

Crochet provides relief and healing for people suffering from a variety of mental health problems. The act of crochet is a soothing, repetitive act that is similar in many ways to meditation. This provides relief for numerous health conditions such as depression. Crochet provides a form of distraction and focus that reduces racing thoughts, offering a healing option for people suffering from anxiety-related conditions including panic attacks and PTSD. Being able to produce useful products for self and others through crochet helps people to feel productive and this boosts self-esteem, which is helpful for easing the pain of many mental health conditions. Some people find that crochet and talk therapy alone can solve their mental health problems whereas others use crochet in conjunction with medication to keep their brains under control. Either way, crochet is an important part of the process!

Crochet for Physical Health

Mental health problems are not the only type of health issues that can be improved through crochet; a variety of physical health problems are healed through this craft as well. For example, crochet can be used as a way to distract the mind from pain. This is true for people suffering from short-term pain problems like labor pains as well as chronic pain conditions like fibromyalgia. Crochet can be used to enhance physical motor skills and improve hand-eye coordination in both children and adults who require physical therapy for the hands. And crochet is often considered a tool for reducing stress, which in turn can reduce the symptoms of stress-related health conditions like heart conditions.

Share Your Story

Are you reading along with this and nodding, think that you have definitely experienced some type of health benefit since learning to crochet? If so, I’d love for you to share your story with the readers in my book. My book is a practical informative guide to healing through crochet but it’s also a book that shares the touching personal stories of crocheters who have been there and healed through it. If you want to share your story in an email interview, send me a note at createmefree (at) yahoo (dot) com and we’ll set something up!

Rnd 6: Ch 1, sc in same st. Sc in each dc around with (sc, ch 1, sc) in each corner ch-2 space. Join with a sl st to 1st sc. End off.

For wiggles:Join any color with a sl st around any dc, ch 3, 3 dc around same dc. *Turn piece counter-clockwise, 4 dc around next dc. Turn piece clockwise, 4 dc around next dc. Repeat from * around. Join with a sl st to top of beginning ch 3. End off.

Today's Blogday highlight is Shell's 'Little Orphan Skein' - Crochet, Scrapbooking, Sewing and More! Shell is my kind of girl - she's been crocheting donation afghans that will be donated to a cancer center. And if I remember correctly, she also crochets flowers for her Mom to attach to her hats that she donates for cancer patients.

Just recently Shell designed a crochet border that she named 'leapfrog' - and she provides a tutorial. It's something different that I think looks very nice.

When you visit Shell's blog, make sure you check out her 'wife cave'. :)

Friday, October 21, 2011

Finally finished up my new kitchen rug yesterday. I glued the foamy kind of shelf liner to the back to keep it from sliding around. My son Bobby says "it pulls the whole room together" - a line from the movie "The Big Lebowski" - and my grandson William was afraid to step on it. :)

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Finally finished this scrappy round ripple last night. I'm glad to be done with it really - it was getting kind of tricky to wrangle it on my lap while crocheting. I used all 3 scrappy yarn cakes (27 oz) and my pink polka-dot 'J' hook. It measures 49" point to point. :)

Friday, October 14, 2011

Thursday, October 13, 2011

I belong to a Ravelry group called 'Crochet Country' - we're just starting a scarf CAL and here is mine so far. This alpaca yarn I bought in Canada is thin and it's driving me nuts - I'm used to worsted weight.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Came across this potholder rug idea a little while ago and thought that it was a great idea. I only had a few potholders in the kitchen drawer so my kitchen rug is a little small at the moment. I'm on the look-out for a few more. Right now the potholders are just hot-glued together, but I will be sewing them for more security. :)

(the potholder rug was photographed in my craft room - my kitchen floor does not have carpeting.)

Monday, October 10, 2011

The blog I've chosen to be in the spotlight for this Blogday is Charlotte's 'Charlotte's Web'. Her blog is about her family, yard sales and crochet - it's great. I love looking at all of her fun finds when she goes yard-saling and wishing some of it was mine. And of course, I love looking at all of her crochet. She's been crocheting afghans lately and her most recent one - a log cabin - is just beautiful. Great work. Hop on over to say 'hi' when you get a chance. :)